Asus Zenfone smartphone series won’t be discontinued, company dispels rumours

Asus on Friday said it is not going to discontinue its Zenfone series of phones after a report claimed that the Taiwanese company planned to shift focus from budget to 'power' phones. The report followed the Asus announcement of CEO Jerry Shen departing from the company.

"With regard to the doubts raised by some on the continuation of the ZenFone brand, we confirm that we will continue to develop the ZenFone series, while also aiming to expand the gaming smartphone market. We will focus on perfecting solutions for gamers and power users," Asus said in a statement.

Earlier, Engadget reported that Shen will be moving on to head iFast, an AI plus iOT startup but he will still have ties with the company having 30% shares in the startup. The former Asus CEO was also quoted by the publication as saying that he will "devote himself to assisting Asus effectively transition into the AIoT industry." Replacing Shen will be the joint leadership of SY Hsu and Samson Hu from January 1, 2019.

The report further noted that Shen's exit comes at a time when Asus is shifting its focus from budget phones towards smartphones for gamers and power users. In an interview with Business Next, Asus chairman Jonney Shih talked about the current scenario with smartphones where gaming is becoming a popular trend. It will also now cater to gamers and power users with its upcoming devices, triggering speculation that Asus will focus on its new ROG series of gaming phones.

It's safe to say that Asus will continue with its Zenfone range of budget and mid-range smartphones. Asus recently introduced two new budget smartphones in India - Zenfone Max Pro M2 and Zenfone Max M1. The company is also stepping up in the smartphone gaming with the launch of the ROG Phone earlier this year. The ROG Phone which also made its way to India carries a price tag of ₹69,999.

The Taiwanese company also launched its TUF series of gaming laptops in India. Asus' TUF laptops are an affordable version of the high-end ROG gaming laptops.